Dawn's Johto League Adventure
by Reborn Dark Phoenix
Summary: Having won the Johto Grand Festival, Dawn wonders what her next move will be. Inspired by Lyra's quest, her journey with Ash in Sinnoh & his current journey in Kalos, she's decided to take on the Johto League Gym Challenge. This is her story & adventure, with new friends, new enemies, and new Pokémon…oh, and the return of Hunter J. *Slight Pearlshipping hinted on occasion*
1. Prologue 1

_**Welcome dear readers and writers of FanFiction, to a whole new adventure, where we follow our favorite blunette across a region all new to her as she heads to her newest goal. This is Dawn's journey in the Johto Region to be the Silver Conference Champion! This'll be my first Pokémon story, so apologies for any errors and whatnot in advanced. As I write this story, I'll be rewatching the Johto series to help. Enjoy the story! :D**_

_**Oh and as the summary says, there'll be Pearlshipping hints galore :D I just love Ash/Dawn.**_

_**Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related features/characters/etc. are owned by Gamefreak/Nintendo and by Satoshi Tajiri. The plotline, however, is all my creation.**_

* * *

**REBORN DARK PHOENIX PROUDLY PRESENTS**

**DAWN'S JOHTO LEAGUE ADVENTURES**

* * *

Prologue 1:

* * *

***Lake Valor, midnight, after the events of **_**The Battle Finale of Legend**_*****

The balance had been restored.

Uxie, Mespherit and Azelf had been rescued, and their chosen ones had been victorious. Dialga and Palkia had been returned to their dimensions, saved from the actions of a madman. Team Galactic had been stopped once and for all, Cyrus had vanished into the Distortion World, never to return again, and the world had been spared from the destruction said madman and his followers promised, in hopes of creating a brand new world in their image. All was right with the world again. Those who did wrong were dealt with.

Except for one.

There is a reason that teachers tell their students to check their work, that hunters always check to see that their prey is dead, and that a warrior makes sure their opponent isn't going to get back up.

Lake Valor, a peaceful habitat in the region of Sinnoh; it had seen its fair share of chaos in the last couple of days, but all was right with it again. Few people had seen that it had been turned into a grave.

No one was there to see that the one person it was meant for had escaped their brush with death.

The calm waters by the lake's shores were interrupted as a figure emerged from the depths. It appeared to be a woman with silvery hair, clothed in dark purple and dark red hunting attire. On her mouth was a small breathing device, and it was almost out of air. Not that it mattered-the woman was out of energy. She was only a few dozen feet away from the shore, but all the energy she had expended swimming from, literally, the bottom of the lake and the ruins of her flying fortress. She took a few staggering steps and then collapsed into the shallow waters again, this time with her breathing device slipping out of her mouth. Her eyes blinked a few times, her mouth and nose vainly resisting the surges of water that were trying to flood them.

A few moments passed. If she was left like this, she surely would've drowned. That was not to be.

A crash of waves signaled the emergence of another figure from the lake, this time being a large quadrupedal draconian creature, blue in color with red wings. As it took in the sight around it, it let out a breath it was holding, relishing the fact that it could once more breathe. Its celebration was short lived, however, as it caught sight of its mistress. Instantly, as the unquestionably loyal Pokémon it was, it brought its maw to her and gently grabbed her by hips, freeing her from the waters. At that, it then took up flight with its massive wings and flew to the shore. Upon arriving, it set the woman down on the sands. It saw that she had fallen unconscious.

"SALAMENCE!"

Its roar jolted her back into consciousness, and she began coughing viciously, the water that had managed to get into her lungs forced out with each sound. After a few more seconds, she stopped coughing and slumped back onto the sandy shore. Slowly, she recomposed herself as she took in deep breaths. She was alive…the Future Sight had destroyed her airship, but as the destruction was occurring around her, she had managed to get to her escape vessel while the waters were flooding all around her. She had just barely managed to eject herself from the airship before it crashed into the lake bottom. Her henchmen were replaceable, and she had been meaning to get a new airship anyways. What mattered was that she escaped…but her escape pod wasn't fast enough to avoid the massive explosion that had come from the impact onto the bottom, nor the ripples of impact. The metallic carnage and debris was sent flying (…or swimming) in all directions, including hers. She had just had enough time to put on a breathing device and call out her Salamence before it all rendered her escape pod destroyed.

Her Salamence…her most loyal companion, and her most obedient Pokémon. If she told it to destroy a city, it would do it.

She slowly sat up, able to breathe properly again. "So we managed to get out of that after all…" she muttered.

The Dragon Type growled its agreement.

She looked around, seeing the beauty of the forests and lakes in the night time. She had long ago found it pointless to focus on the trivial things in life, like beauty, and she wasn't about to start now, even if she had just barely escaped death. There were more pressing matters at hand to deal with at the moment. Namely, the money that should be in her account after the work she did with Cyrus and Team Galactic. If they had withdrawn their payments simply because they thought she was dead…oh, would they be sorry.

Getting up, albeit a bit painfully, she shook herself, trying to dry herself as best she could and get the sand off her clothes. She then noticed that her goggles were missing, which she assumed were now at the bottom of Lake Valor. At least her cannon was still on her, as well as the PokeBalls that contained Drapion and Ariados, as well as Salamence's PokeBall.

She now needed a place to lay low and think up her next move. Her airship was destroyed, but being a wealthy hunter, she had a few backups…

Without a word, she hopped onto Salamence's back. The Dragon Type, so familiar with these motions, simply roared and took off into the night sky, racing to the clouds at a remarkable speed. When it stopped, it was a couple thousand feet in the air. It then simply floated in the night sky, awaiting its mistress's orders.

"Salamence…"

"Sal?"

"…Take me to my place in Jubilife City," Hunter J ordered.

* * *

XXX

* * *

With Salamence's amazing speed, it didn't take long for the two of them to arrive to their destination. J had set up fallbacks in the event that she had to go into hiding or her base was destroyed. One of them was a penthouse apartment in the richest part of Jubilife City. J's hunts had resulted in many…MANY clients giving her exactly what she valued most: money. It was all that she cared about, and it was one of only two things that she lived for, the other thing being the thrill of the hunt and resulting battles. They gave her a rush that she thrived upon. But it was the money that she loved. Proved by how high tech her equipment and lifestyle was…and the high class details of the penthouse.

Even Pokémon Hunters needed to kick back, relax and enjoy the good things in life once in a while, right?

And that was exactly what J was doing right now.

Having just come out of a relaxing bath, J sat down upon one of her lush chairs, wearing a simple bath robe and slippers, and took out her laptop. Earlier, she had made checked to see if Team Galactic had removed their payment transaction for her work in capturing the Emotion Trio due to her apparent death, and it turned out that they actually didn't; it seemed they were too caught up in their own schemes and plans…which she figured had ended in complete and utter failure since the world was still standing the way it was. Hmmm…a shame, really, although maybe it wasn't so bad after all; who knew what Cyrus had planned for her if he actually did succeed?

She had to admit, those children could prove to be a dangerous nuisance. If they crossed her paths again, however, they would regret it for the rest of their lives…however short they'd be.

Hunter J wasn't about to just lay low for the rest of her life. No, if she did, the money would eventually run out…it'd take a while, but it would. She lived for the thrill of the hunt, after all, and all over Sinnoh were a pantheon of rare and well desired Pokémon that she knew would bring in quite the large amount of Pokédollars on the black market. Of course, being that she had lost her henchmen and most of her technology, she could always start over. As the best in the game, J knew that many lowly poachers and hunters were out across the multiple regions, trying to make their own quick buck, and it was no secret that her skill set was putting many of them out of business. But she also knew that they would not hesitate to get into the money by working for her. They claimed to have pride, yet would throw it away for money. That was how J liked her henchmen-money loving, lowly, obedient out of fear and power, and most of all…expendable. Despite what most people thought, there were many poachers and hunters in the Sinnoh Region ALONE. Don't even get started on Johto…

A ping from her laptop caught her attention. J was currently checking all her off-shore & Sinnoh accounts, making sure that nothing was out of the ordinary with her money. Her eyes widened and her mouth went open with a gasp, but it soon turned into a snarling frown. "What in the name of Arceus…?!" she exclaimed furiously. Three of her accounts had just been stripped clean of all the money she had put in them. Simultaneously…and in only a few instances…her accounts in the Orange Islands, the Sevii Islands and in Unova-empty…she had been hacked; robbed.

"ALERT," a monotone female voice rang out through the penthouse, capturing J's attention. She couldn't believe it…not now…she had set up this alarm in every single one of her safe houses across Sinnoh to alert her of the unlikely but possible event that one of them had been compromised in any way or form. And now it was going off. "THE SAFE HOUSE LOCATED IN SUNNYSHORE CITY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED AS OF 35.8 SECONDS AGO."

"What?!" J exclaimed, completely furious right now. Whoever had just wiped her accounts most likely had something to do with this, too. "By who?!"

"THE POKEMON RANGERS AND SUNNYSHORE POLICE LED BY OFFICER JEN-ALERT. THE SAFE HOUSE LOCATED IN HEARTHOME CITY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. POKEMON RANGERS AND HEARTHOME POLICE LED BY OFFICER JENNY ENTERED APPROXIMATELY 32.6 SECONDS AGO."

Another ping from her laptop then caught J's attention, and she roared in anger at what she saw. Five of her Sinnoh accounts were being hacked into as well. In just a few moments, three of them were completely drained of any and all funds, and the next two were quickly being emptied as she looked on. So…the Pokémon Rangers and the Sinnoh Police Force…but how?! She was always so careful, so meticulous when it came to her hard-earned money. And she was the only one who knew of the existence of the safe houses, except for her dead lieutenant. Though…it could be possible to locate her safe houses through tracking the signal of the money transfers that she made from each of them; but…how would they even know about her accounts in the first place? The only one who ever had complete access to her account was herself, and in the last few weeks, partial depository access from her clients and Team Galactic…

Of course…Team Galactic. She had seen on the news that Galactic's lieutenants had been captured. Those bastards…they must have given the authorities all the information they had on her, including the account they had been given to transfer the money she was paid to. From there, the Rangers and police must've easily hacked into the system and found her other accounts, her safe houses from there and-

"ALERT. THE SAFE HOUSES LOCATED IN ETERNA CITY, ALAMOS TOWN, SNOWPOINT CITY AND NORTH OF NEIGHBORLY TOWN HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED BY THE POKEMON RANGERS."

J swore. That only left three safe houses left. She looked at her laptop; another account had just been drained dry. She knew that if she didn't do something, she'd be broke and then probably captured. So she set to work on her last three accounts in Sinnoh. Immediately, she began transferring the vast amounts of money in each of them to her failsafe account, one she never gave to any of her clients to use…one that only she had access to.

Her Johto Region Goldenrod account.

"Transfers complete."

Now, to get out of here-if her other safe houses were being compromised, then this one was bound to be attacked soon. J set off to work, ditching the robe and immediately heading to a closet on the far wall. Inside were not normal civilian clothes, but only one set of clothing-her usual hunting attire. Her equipment, including her hand cannon, a new set of goggles and a handheld scanner, were also in there. In just a minute, she had readied herself to leave. She grabbed the belt that held the PokéBalls of her Salamence, Ariados and Drapion (She decided that she needed a full team from now on, and resolved that moment to make sure she captured three other powerful Pokémon), and after a moment's hesitation, grabbed her laptop. It was her only link to her accounts and the rest of the outside world for now.

"ALERT," the alarm stated. "THE SAFE HOUSES IN CHOCOVINE TOWN, LILYPAD TOWN AND NORTH OF OREBURGH CITY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED. WARNING! ONE SAFE HOUSE REMAINS-THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL."

This was it…this was the last safe house.

"System," J commanded, "begin override deletion sequence 45-Omega, password: Pulsewave. Delete all data and information located in safe house network files." She paused for a moment. "And activate self-destruction sequence, override Delta-Tauros; passcode: Nextwave."

"COMMANDS ACCEPTED-SEQUENCES COMMENCING."

With that, J walked out of the penthouse and to the elevator, never looking back. This was it…from what she saw, at least a good 78% of her funds had been taken from her, and all her safe houses in Sinnoh were compromised. J figured that as a result, people would soon learn that Hunter J was gone for good, "dead," as it seemed. The Rangers and Sinnoh Police had moved in and had gotten what they were looking for. As a result, even if she came back into the spotlight and proved she wasn't dead, all her former and potential clients wouldn't be too keen on looking her up for business again. As far as she could tell, her Sinnoh hunting career was over. But J had one advantage.

No one knew she was still alive.

The Rangers would now continue on, thinking her dead and no longer a problem.

Wrong move.

The elevator arrived on the roof. Immediately after stepping out, J released her Salamence, promptly jumping onto its back. Without awaiting further orders, the Dragon Pokémon flew into the skies and began its flight. J had one option left now…sure, her operations in Sinnoh were now a complete bust…but there was one place she could go to now, her ultimate failsafe and last resort, one she never thought she'd use.

"Salamence…we're going to Johto…to the Red Isle safe house."

* * *

XXX

* * *

Sinnoh was a massive land mass north of the continent that the Kanto and Johto regions shared, and even then, both regions were located on the southern part of the continent. As a result, Salamence's flight took quite a while. It continuously flew on, however, never stopping to rest. It was extremely loyal to Hunter J, never disobeying her commands, never questioning her judgment, and never faltering in doing what needed to be done. It continued on, because that was what its mistress needed it to do, and so it would do it.

The entire time, J was silent. She continued to periodically check her last remaining account, making sure that it hadn't been hacked and stripped clean either. Thankfully it wasn't, however, and that put her mind to rest. It also helped her mood when her handheld alerted her that all data and info in the Jubilife safe house had been deleted and wiped clean…and when it alerted her of the safe house being compromised, only to be alerted less than a minute later that the self-destruction sequence had finished counting down.

One does not cross Hunter J and get away with it.

After three days of flight, J and Salamence finally arrived into Johto airspace, but it would take another 11 hours to arrive at the Whirl Islands where her Johto safe house was located. J took this time to think about where she was going to go from here on out. She was a hunter, born and raised, tried and true. It was her source of income and her passion. It was how she got by in this world. She wasn't simply about to dump that all away. This wasn't Sinnoh anymore…this was Johto, a whole new region, one that was virgin to her exploits and hunting. J knew that Johto had its own fair share of hunters and poachers. She also knew that Team Rocket-what she learned was the GENUINE Team Rocket, and not that trio of pathetic weaklings that kept trying and failing to bring her down-was quite powerful here in Johto, their presence here rivaled only by their presence in their home region of Kanto, on the other side of Mt. Silver…which, she knew from stories, was a habitat filled with powerful, fierce and rare Pokémon, Pokémon that would definitely fetch a hefty price. And that was just Mt. Silver…there was rumors of a habitat in Blackthorn City were powerful Dragon-Types lived, a hidden valley home to powerful wild Charizard…a tower in a city in Northern Johto said to be tied to the regional Legendaries…a mountain said to be home to one of the legendary Titan Bird Trio…rumors of Legendaries around the Whirl Islands…powerful Gyrados north of Mahogany Town…the possibilities were endless. All across Johto, there were thousands of Pokémon that were there for the hunting and capturing. And it wasn't just all about the wild Pokémon…the Pokémon of Trainers here in Johto were quite powerful, too. The Gym Leaders, the Johto Elite Four…even the Dragon Master Champion…hmmm…she always wondered how Salamence would fare in an all-out brawl against a Dragonite. The Dragonite and Red Gyrados of the Johto Champion would be worth millions on the black market, and J was sure that he had enemies that would want to take them from him.

How would she accomplish all this?

Simple: she'd create her own team…or syndicate, whichever she came up with, better than her old hunting party squads. She was well known worldwide as the most feared and skilled Pokémon Hunter in the Pokémon World. Other hunters and poachers would die to work under her and get access to the kind of money that she made. The Johto branches of the Pokémon Rangers were unfamiliar with Hunter J, and therefore would have no idea what they were up against…and that would be bad enough if she had decided to go alone. No…now, she would have an entire army of hunters and poachers to back her up. She was confident that other Trainers in Johto, with the right price, would also work for her as well. Not only that, since Team Galactic was done with, J figured that many of its members would be out there looking for a job of sorts…she could offer them that. Yes, the reservoir of employees and followers was near limitless. As for Team Rocket…hell, there were sure to be a few…disgruntled employees under the mysterious Giovanni. In all honesty, J didn't consider Team Rocket to be a threat to her. Sure, they'd probably be A LOT more capable than that pathetic trio, but there was a reason that Salamence could go toe-to-toe with the Regi Trio and their king and walk away. With her Pokémon, Team Rocket would not be much of an enemy. And though she may not be as rich as she was only a few days ago, once she began the hunting once more, the wealth would return. Hell, she could even try to export a few out to other regions, maybe do a bit of importing, too…Yes, J could see it now; a hunting empire all under her control, and for her to follow. And maybe…JUST maybe…she could try to capture some of the most elusive Pokémon in all of Johto…the Beasts…

Baby steps…

Salamence finally touched down upon Red Isle in the Whirl Islands archipelago, landing in front of a small cabin in the northern and more remote parts of the island. This cabin was just a cover-up. Inside was an elevator that led down to a high tech base, suited enough to live decently in. J smirked as she walked inside the cabin to enter her final safe house, recalling Salamence back to its Ball. It would be here that J would begin her next reign of wealth and notoriety. It would be here that J would begin a new era of hunting, and carve out her new territory in Johto.

She smirked. "So it begins."

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_**XXXXX-A/N-XXXXX**_

_**And with that, the newest criminal organization/team to plague the Pokémon World has been born. I have to be completely honest, this was really hard to figure out, coming up with a Team that Dawn and her chosen traveling team will face off with during the story. Originally, I was going to bring back the Iron Masked Marauder and his Dark Balls, and have him create a Team where they poach/hunt Pokémon and capture them in the Dark Balls, selling them off to Trainers who want "all-powerful" Pokémon. But coming up with a massive plan for him proved…rather difficult, so I started all over again (and I had a great name too: Team Shade…). And then, Hunter J came to mind.**_

_**I figured: why not bring back Pokémon's most bad-ass villain?**_

_**Though, I am considering bringing in Marauder later on…I just need to figure out how…**_

_**As for what her Team's name will be…that's proving to be a bit hard, actually. I came up with Team Hunt, The Hunters Syndicate, and even Team J (weird…). I turn to you guys…what do you think? Any one of those names good? If you like, you can even recommend a name yourselves, and I'll consider it :D**_

_**I know you may have thought I'd kick things off with Dawn, but I just needed to get this out of the way and show who the baddies here will be. Dawn will be seen in the second prologue, which should be uploaded in a few days.**_

_**That's enough blabbering from me-hope you guys enjoyed this bit! Let me know what you guys think, and constructive criticism is also welcome!**_

_**Thanks for reading! Until next time, readers.**_


	2. Prologue 2

_**This is the second prologue, where we check out some of that Johto Wallace Cup mentioned by our favorite blunette and a bit more. Now, this part takes place before the anime's current timeline. As a more specific heads up, this bit takes place during the Best Wishes series, just a bit before the Unova League starts. Dawn's already been to and left Unova, and is now in Johto competing in the Wallace Cup. There won't be very much focus on it in this chapter-it's just to help jump into the scene.**_

_**Also, thank you to those who've read and left reviews and suggestions. It means a lot :D**_

_**Ok, here's our favorite Sinnoh Coordinator! Enjoy :D**_

_***Insert Disclaimer here***_

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Prologue 2:

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**Time Jump about a year and a half later**

***The Johto Region***

She breathed in…she breathed out. Her eyes still closed, she whispered to herself, the only one able to hear her being the small penguin Pokémon before her.

"Ok…you can do this…it's time…."

XXX

***The Unova Region, halfway across the world***

"Can't miss it, can't miss it, can't miss it!" he panted as he raced across down the stairs, his mouse Pokémon racing after him a few steps behind. About a flight or two behind, his two traveling companions tried and failed to catch up.

"Boy…" the younger girl gasped. "He…sure is…excited to…watch…the Cup…."

XXX

"We've come all this way," she said with a smile.

"Pip Piplup!" her starter replied with a smile.

XXX

"After all this time, we finally get to see her in action again!" he said with a smile.

"Pi Pikachu!" his starter answered with a smile.

XXX

"It's a whole new place with a brand new attitude, but we're not backing down, right Piplup?"

"Piplup!" Piplup said with determination.

XXX

"She's starting off fresh in Johto, but I know she'll do great, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied with anticipation.

XXX

She returned Piplup back into its ball, and placed the capsule on top, with the sticker on top of the capsule. She was more nervous than ever, but she was ready. Time to show the Johto region just what she was made of.

"And now, give it up for the final contestant for the Johto Wallace Cup Appeals round, Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region!" And with that, the curtains rose up to reveal the massive crowds. She smiled. She was ready.

XXX

He jumped the last six steps and raced towards the Pokémon Center desk, Pikachu landing on his shoulder in anticipation. The Nurse Joy running the Center turned at the sound of his footsteps and smiled when she saw who it was. She was expecting him.

"Nurse Joy! Is it starting!?"

"Pika?!"

"You're just in time!" she replied. At that, Ash Ketchum dashed for the Center lounge, where the TV screen was on…and tuned in to one of the channels from the Johto region, and airing the event he had been waiting for-the Johto Wallace Cup. And sure enough…

"And now, give it up for the final contestant for the Johto Wallace Cup Appeals round, Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region!"

"Go Dawn!" Ash yelled.

XXX

"Ok, Piplup! Spotlight!"

"Piplup!" the Water-type cried in joy and pride as he came out in a flurry of light and bubbles.

Dawn's appeal went amazingly. Her and Piplup's newest combination of Whirlpool, Drill Peck and a recently learned Ice Beam dazzled the audience and the judges. As the Whirlpool froze in its tracks and was shattered by the Drill Peck, Piplup gracefully landed on the stage in a twirl. "Yeah! That's how you do it!" Dawn yelled in joy. "Now, let's finish this off-Bubblebeam!" The Water-type unleashed the move as it spun in a somersault, similar to Pachirisu's Superfang appeal. "Now, Ice Beam!" The bubbles froze as Piplup landed gracefully. "Whirlpool!" With a cry of determination, the whirlpool sucked in all the frozen bubbles. "Now! Hydro-Pump!" This was what Piplup and Dawn were waiting for. As the massive Water move crashed through the whirlpool and made it disappear, it also hit all the frozen bubbles, which caused an explosion of massive snowflakes elegantly descending onto the ground.

The audience and judges were astounded and cheered wildly.

"You were awesome, Piplup!" Dawn said with a smile as she embraced her longtime companion.

"Piplup!" Piplup answered with pride, happy to have helped his best friend's goal advance even further.

"An amazing combination of Water and Ice type moves!" Mr. Contesta declared. "A unique way of showing off Piplup's amazing skills!"

"And the finish-remarkable!" Mr. Sukize added.

"It's clearly obvious how much Piplup loves Dawn to execute such elegant combinations and be in such sync with her!" Nurse Joy said with a smile.

"INDEED!" Wallace, the Hoenn Pokémon League Champion and Top Coordinator added. "You mastered the use and sync of Water and Ice type moves perfectly. A graceful yet fierce appeal, as Piplup made it! Such wonder-truly amazing in every way!" Dawn couldn't help but blush at the man's words. And her smile grew even bigger when Wallace flashed her a thumbs up.

Ten minutes later, the judges revealed who would be going on to the second round, and Dawn was proud to see she was amongst those who were moving ahead, which also included her friends Zoey and Kenny…oh, and Ursula. But she knew it would just get harder from here on out. Johto was full of tough Coordinators, and she knew she was in dangerous waters, but she had no fear. She was determined to win, and she would.

"Yeah, no need to worry," she mused with a smile.

"Dawn!" Lyra and Khoury ran up to her, smiles on their faces. Dawn was staying with them in New Bark Town prior to the Johto Wallace Cup, training her team and getting them ready while Lyra was training her own Pokémon for the Gym battles ahead of them. Khoury, while still aiming to be a Breeder like Brock, was also contemplating taking up the Johto League Challenge or not. His recently evolved Gabite certainly thought it'd be a fun experience. Both had eagerly agreed to come watch and support her in the Wallace Cup.

"Hey guys!" Dawn smiled. "So, what did you think?"

"What did we think?! It was amazing, Dane!" Lyra exclaimed, again mispronouncing Dawn's name, but Dawn was used to it by now. "It's no surprise you're in the second round! You're really going to wow them all! Right, Khoury?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around her journey companion/new boyfriend.

"Yeah!" Khoury exclaimed, a slight blush creeping onto his face. "You'll do great, Dawn. Just believe in your Pokémon and yourself."

"No need to worry-I have faith in them 100%!"

Later that night, Lyra and Khoury had gone off to spend some quality time alone in the city, while Dawn stayed behind in the Pokémon Center. She had grown to enjoy Blackthorn City, where the Wallace Cup was being held. She had enjoyed the sights and new Pokémon. She had even caught a glimpse of Clair herself, the Blackthorn Gym Leader. She remembered Ash's story about how he had one that badge after a very difficult battle.

Sitting in the lounge, she gazed at the five PokéBalls laying in front of her, each holding Quilava, Mamoswine, Buneary, Pachirisu and Togekiss. Piplup sat on the table in front of her, ready to give in any input he could. With so many contestants in the appeals round, the entire first day of the Cup was dedicated to appeals, the battles starting tomorrow. Dawn was taking this extra time to choose her partner for the rest of the Wallace Cup.

"Battle rounds for the Wallace Cup are hard, that's for sure," Dawn mused. "It'll be a single battle, too. As always, we'll need to show off our power, but also the grace and elegance we have too."

"Lup."

"I'm thinking either Quilava or Togekiss…Quilava is getting better at the Eruption/Swift combo, and I'm feeling pretty ballsy…but Togekiss is also getting better in battles, and her grace and elegance could really turn the tide in our favor…"

"Excuse me, Dawn?" It was the Blackthorn Nurse Joy. "You have a call on the videophone."

"A call?" Dawn had already called her mother, and she had called May too, who couldn't make it in time for the Cup. Zoey and Kenny were competing…Ursula-yeah right-besides, she was here, too…Nando? Nah…who? "Where's it from?"

"It's coming in from the Unova Region."

"Unova?!" she repeated excitedly. She now knew exactly who it was, and she felt her heart soar a little bit. Less than a minute later, Dawn and Piplup were at the videophone, and they were pleased to see that Dawn was right, indeed.

"Dawn! Piplup!"

"Pikachu!"

"Ash and Pikachu! It's so good to see you both again!" Dawn said happily. She really missed travelling with Ash and Pikachu…oh, and Brock.

"Piplup!" Piplup squealed in delight, happy to see his old friend once more.

"Chu!"

"Lup Piplup!"

"Pika Pi!"

"Well, it looks like these two certainly aren't wasting any time," Dawn giggled as the two old friends began conversing. "So, how's it going in Unova, Ash?"

"It's going great-still training as hard as ever for the Unova League!" Ash grinned. "It's only two weeks I have to wait now before we can compete! We're pretty stoked, aren't we buddy?"

"Pika!"

"That's great, Ash!" Dawn smiled. "I know you'll do great, and I'll be cheering you on from here in Johto. You have no need to worry."

"Thanks, Dawn-I'll be needing all the cheering I can get." Ash certainly missed it when Dawn would always cheer for him in his battles in Sinnoh; she even had gone so far as to act as his own cheerleader on occasions. Her cheering always gave him the confidence boost he needed, and he felt like he could take on the world. "Just like old times, except you're not here. I miss the old times."

"Me too," Dawn sighed. "We were pretty nice as a team, weren't we?"

"Of course!" Ash replied. "You've really grown and gotten better than ever since you threw that PokeBall at my head." Dawn blushed in embarrassment at the memory. "You've come a long way. I know you'll do great in Johto, Dawn. You can do it-you can be a top coordinator; no need to worry!"

"Aww, that's sweet," Dawn replied, still blushing slightly. "But I have you to thank, though. You did teach me a lot of what I know-you and Brock. I would never be where I am now if it weren't for the two of you. So thanks."

"No problem."

The two conversed for a while longer, exchanging more stories, some battle tips, and more. Soon, however, they had to stop-because of the different time zones, it was still daylight in Unova while Johto was nearing midnight. The two wished they could talk a bit more, but Dawn was getting tired, and she still had her first round of battle contests tomorrow.

"I wish we had more time," Dawn said with a slight pout.

"Me too," Ash agreed. "I miss talking to you about anything, and training here just isn't the same without you." It was true-he never felt more inspired in battles than when Dawn was there to cheer him on and to provide her support in any way she could. His fondest memory was when she stayed up with him all night to help Gliscor master his flight and battle techniques. He distinctly remembered the vibrant life in her blue orbs that he'd lose himself-wait what?

"Yeah, same here…" Dawn admitted. "Travelling here in Johto is nice, but I got so used to you being there…oh, and Brock. It's actually kind of dull, seeing that you would always get us into all kinds of trouble." She teased him about it, but truth be told, she enjoyed it, getting lost with Ash (…and Brock) and having some kind of adventure. The confidence in his deep chocolate orbs always seemed to spark new energy inside her. It made her feel warm inside-huh?

"Well… I guess I'll let you get some sleep," Ash said, the blush on his face from what he had just thought growing visible. "I'll be cheering you on tomorrow for the battle parts. Good luck, Dawn!"

"Thanks, Ash," Dawn grinned, her own blush creeping up from her own thoughts. "I'll be sure to work extra hard. You won't be disappointed!...oh, and say hi to Iris and Cilan for me."

"Pi pika pi," Pikachu said. _(No, Meloetta's already gone. The basic version, Team Rocket showed up, we stopped them and she went with Ridley. Oshawott is kind of still bummed about it)_

"Lup Piplup Pip," Piplup replied. _(Well, at least she's with someone who'll take care of her now. Wish I was there to say good-bye. You all sure seem to be having a lot of adventures, and Team Rocket sure does love following you guys.)_

"Chu Pika Pika Pi, Pikachu." _(It's annoying...anyways, glad to see that you and Dawn are having a blast in Johto! I loved that region, it was awesome. Hope you guys do well in the Wallace Cup. Ash is really rooting for you guys, especially for Dawn. He literally jumped two flights of stairs so he could see your appeals round on time! It's so obvious he likes her, and she likes him too.)_

"Pip piplup!" _(Trust me, she does, but they just don't know it. They're perfect for each other. I just wish they'd see it. Oh, and Buneary misses you.)_

"Pikaaa!" _(Tell her I say Hi!)_

As the four of them finally exchanged goodbyes and good nights, the call ended. Ash left the Pokémon Center with a big smile on his face. It was great seeing Dawn again and talk to her. Almost three months had passed since she met up with them in Undella Town. She hadn't changed a bit, except she was more mature and confident, and she certain seemed to have grown even more now. She wasn't about to let anything stand in her way. He wished he was there personally to cheer her on, but he would nevertheless cheer her from here in Unova. With new resolve, he called out his team for some more training for the Unova Legue.

Dawn, meanwhile, left the Pokémon Center and returned to the hotel she was staying at a few blocks away, since the Center had run out of space to house all the Coordinators, had just entered her room and threw herself onto her bed with a content sigh. It was always great to see Ash again. She missed him a lot in her time here in Johto, as she was so used to him being there during their adventures in Sinnoh. She knew that eventually he'd have to leave, but she still wished he didn't…oh and Brock, too. But she had managed to carry on, taking all the lessons and advice he had given her and used them to better herself and her Pokémon. She would not let any of that teaching go to waste. She learned and adapted, fitting the techniques to better help each of her Pokémon. Without Ash there to help mentor her, it was rather difficult at first, but Ash's determination rubbed off on her. She was proud of how far she had come.

"Thanks for everything, Ash," she sighed as she turned off the lights and proceeded to quickly fall asleep, the dark room enlightened by the moonlight seeping in through the window leading to the balcony. Piplup sat on the floor as he watched his mistress and best friend fall asleep. He couldn't help but smile; it was very clear that she and Ash were a match made in heaven. He and Pikachu used to try and come up with ways to get them to realize they liked each other and go a step further, but they never got to reach their goals as they had to go their separate ways. It was clear however, how much of an influence the strong and caring Trainer had on her.

(_"If only..."_)Piplup sighed as he jumped onto Dawn's bed and curled up, soon falling asleep as well.

They were awakened a few hours later, still dead of night. Dawn and Piplup were instantly jolted awake by what sounded like some kind of explosion. "Oh my god, what was that?!" the 14 year old yelled out in shock. Instinctively, she grabbed her belt on the nightstand, which held her PokéBalls. Piplup immediately took a hostile and aggressive stance facing the door, ready for any threat to Dawn. "What's going on?!" Dawn muttered to herself.

Her response was a roar. Shocked, Dawn and Piplup dashed to the balcony outside of their room, and were just in time to hear another explosion, but this time, they saw the source: a Hyper Beam, being fired right at the Blackthorn Pokémon Center a few blocks away, visible from her window. She could see the blast hit the large building, and she could see that there was another blast hole with the one just made by this Hyper Beam, which must've been what the first explosion was. Dawn could just make out the figure of a purple Pokémon, as were as a few people. Experience dealing with Team Galactic and Hunter J's men back in Sinnoh told her that this was trouble and they were a threat.

"Zoey, Kenny and the others are down there," Dawn gasped. She didn't waste a moment more; immediately heading back into her room, she grabbed a sweater to cover her pajama tank top, a pair of jeans & her trademark boots, she grabbed her Ball belt and dashed out the door, not even paying attention to her messy bed head. "C'mon, Piplup! The Pokémon Nurse Joy is taking care of, and all the other Coordinators & Trainers are going to need help!"

"PIPLUP!"

Once outside the hotel and onto the streets, the two made a mad dash for the Pokémon Center, the sounds of police sirens starting to ring from the distance. Hopefully, Officer Jenny would show up soon. Sure, she helped bring down Team Galactic, but that didn't mean she wanted to fight off every crime group in her path! After less than two minutes of running, Dawn and Piplup arrived at the Pokémon Center, and it wasn't looking too good. Two massive holes had been blasted into the Center's front, from which smoke was procuring, possibly from the Hyper Beam they had seen earlier hitting something flammable. Speaking of said Hyper Beam, Dawn now saw the source: a Nidoking, the purple Pokémon she had seen from her window. She also noticed that the people she had seen were now gone, except for one. It was a woman, who seemed to be this Nidoking's Trainer. She wore what appeared to be a black sleeveless shirt with a silvery gray strap over it, coming up from a black belt. The strap held three PokéBalls, but there was an empty slot for one more Ball. She also wore black tight pants and combat boots, along with black fingerless gloves, with some kind of high-tech gizmo as a gauntlet on her right arm. Her most striking feature was her green hair, tied in a very messy bun that still somehow looked quite good for her style.

"Won't be long now, Nidoking," the woman smirked.

"Nido," the Drill Pokémon growled.

"Hey, you!" Dawn yelled out as she came to a stop, drawing the attention of the woman and her Nidoking. "What the hell are you doing attacking the Pokémon Center?!"

"That's none of your concern, child," the woman responded coldly. "Unless you have a death with, I suggest you walk away now. This doesn't concern you."

"My friends are in there," Dawn replied with anger on her face and in her voice, taking out a PokeBall. "That's enough to make it concern me completely!"

"You're going to regret this, you little brat," the woman snarled. "Nidoking, take care of her and that puny bird of hers." With a roar, her Nidoking charged forward, ready to attack.

"I don't think so! Mamoswine, go!" Dawn exclaimed, throwing her PokeBall. A flash of white light later, a large brown furred Pokémon with sharp and powerful tusks appeared, itching for a battle.

"Mamo!" cried Mamoswine, Dawn's most powerful Pokémon.

The woman was unfazed. "Nidoking, bring it down with Megahorn!" Nidoking's horn took on a greenish glow as he lowered its head and began charging towards Mamoswine.

"Mamoswine, counter with Take Down!" Dawn ordered, one of her more recent contest moves coming to mind. Mamoswine bellowed as it answered with its own charge, its body taking on a whitish glow as it charged towards Nidoking. The two powerhouses were unrelenting in their charge. Dawn waited until they almost hit each other before yelling out, "Now Mamoswine, use Ice Beam while charging!"

"Mamo!" the Ice/Ground type roared as its mouth opened and a massive blue & white blast of icy energy fired while it was still running. The Ice Beam blasted right into Nidoking, resulting in a super effective hit. Nidoking roared as it was pushed back, its Megahorn stopped, leaving it completely open for Mamoswine's Take Down, which sent it flying back into a nearby tree.

"Way to go, Mamoswine!" Dawn yelled out with pride, but soon she turned worried when Mamoswine roared in pain, its body emitting a sickly purplish glow. "Mamoswine, what's wrong?!"

"Looks like Poison Point got activated," the woman smirked. "Nidoking, use Water Pulse!" Nidoking roared as from its maw an orb of water began to form, getting bigger with each passing second.

"Mamoswine, Ice Armor!" Dawn commanded. Shrugging off the pain from the poison, Mamoswine began forming a bluish white sphere of icy energy in its own mouth, but instead of firing it when it got big enough, Mamoswine swallowed it whole, enticing massive ice crystals forming on its back, showing that its strength had increased even higher than it already was.

"Impressive but it won't help you!" the woman sneered. "Nidoking fire now!"

"Mamoswine, Hidden Power!"

The two powerhouses fired off their attacks, and they both landed on their marks. Water Pulse, being super effective on a Ground type like Mamoswine, landed a massive hit, sending Mamoswine crashing into the ground. Hidden Power, proving to be a Grass type hit, landed but Nidoking, being part Poison along with Ground, merely took the hit and shrugged it off. It roared again, mocking and challenging Mamoswine. Mamoswine bellowed back in anger, only to cringe and cry out in pain as the poison took effect again.

"Nidoking, give them a Brick Break."

"NIDOKING!" it roared, its fists glowing white as it charged straight for Mamoswine. Despite Dawn telling it to dodge, Mamoswine couldn't avoid the hits in time, and was sent flying back when the super effective attack hit its mark. Mamoswine, despite the pain it was in, forced itself to get back up, refusing to back down.

"Dammit, that Nidoking is really tough," Dawn muttered.

"I must admit, that Mamoswine is very well trained," the woman remarked. "I'll assume you're a coordinator from the way it used that Ice Shard to power itself up. Your Pokémon will make a wonderful addition to our collection of merchandise to sell once I steal it."

"Steal my Mamoswine?!" Dawn exclaimed in rage. "What the hell is wrong with you?! No way you're stealing my Pokémon!"

"PIPLUP PIPLUP!" Piplup agreed in anger.

"You don't really have a choice, do you?" the woman smirked. "Nidoking, end this now. Hyper Beam." Nidoking roared in response as a powerful orange orb began to form in its maw.

"Ma'am!" Both Dawn and the woman's attention were diverted as the men that Dawn had seen earlier came rushing out of the smoldering Pokémon Center, three of them carrying a bag filled with what appeared to be round objects. Dawn had a feeling she knew what they were. "We've got the PokeBalls, ma'am. We need to pull out now!" Dammit, she was right, they were PokeBalls; they must've stolen all the Pokémon Nurse Joy was healing for all the coordinators, which means Zoey and Kenny's Pokémon were in there, too!

The woman looked back to Dawn and nodded her head. "Agreed-we're pulling out! Nidoking, fall back." The Drill Pokemon stopped its Hyper Beam and turned to join the other men in racing towards wherever they were heading. "You got lucky this time, kid," the woman snarled to Dawn. "Don't try to cross us again or you won't live to speak of it. MOVE OUT!" With that, she turned and ran after her men.

"No you don't!" Dawn exclaimed as she dashed after them with Piplup behind her, forgetting the danger. "Give back those PokeBalls! Come back…here…" Dawn was lost for words as at that moment, a large helicopter appeared all of a sudden, a rather sinister looking thing colored all black, without any markings on it at all. It descended lower to the ground and hovered to allow the men to start climbing the ropes that a man already on the chopper threw down at them. The green haired woman was the first to go up, returning her Nidoking, then the men started going up. "Dammit, they're going to get away…no...they're not! Quilava and Pachirisu, go!"

"CHIPA CHIPA!" the electric squirrel Pokémon cried out.

"LAVA!" the Fire Type cried out.

"Pachirisu, use Spark on those guys with the bags! Quilava, use Swift on that helicopter to cover Pachirisu, now!" Her Pokémon immediately obeyed as they fired their attack. The men carrying the bags with the PokeBalls were suddenly electrocuted as Pachirisu's attack hit them. Caught off guard, and being hit with about a few thousand volts of electricity, the men dropped the bags, which plummeted to the ground.

"NO!" the green haired woman yelled out, but before she could even try anything, the chopper was bombarded with a massive barrage of Quilava's Swift. "That little skank! I oughta-!"

"Hold it right there!" a voice rang out. Dawn looked upwards to see the Blackthorn Gym Leader, Clair, flying on her Dragonair right towards the scene, and just behind her on the ground, Officer Jenny racing on her motorbike with an Arcanine racing alongside her, with multiple squad cars right behind them all. "You made a big mistake, attacking the Pokémon Center! Not in my city!"

"You're all under arrest!" Jenny yelled out. "Arcanine, Flamethrower!" The Fire type responded in full, launching a stream of intense scorching flames right at the helicopter. The pilot barely managed to avoid the blow, already having the chopper taking damage from Quilava's Swift.

"This is not over," the green haired woman snarled loud enough for only her men to hear. "I guarantee you...this is not over. Now I have to explain to the boss that some kid ruined the operation...I'm going to make her pay, that little bitch. Alakazam," she ordered as she took out another Pokeball, calling out a yellow humanoid Pokémon. "Get us out of here with Teleport."

"Kazam," it answered. The Psychic type's eyes began glowing, and in a flash of light, the helicopter, and everyone in it, had disappeared. The only good thing was they didn't manage to get the PokeBalls, after all.

* * *

XXX

* * *

"Dawn, I can't thank you enough for what you did. All the Pokémon wouldn't be here right now without your help. Alot of the Trainers and Coordinators here owe you quite a bit."

"Nurse Joy, it really is nothing," a slightly blushing Dawn replied. "I just did what I felt I had to do. I couldn't just let them steal everyone's Pokémon."

"Well, it's a good thing you stepped in when you did," Officer Jenny remarked. "If you hadn't, no one would've been able to stop them, and all the Pokémon would be long gone by now. You and your Pokémon delaying them proved to be the decisive factor."

"Speaking of which, thank you for healing my Pokémon, Nurse Joy," Dawn said to the Pokémon Nurse with a smile. "Is the Pokémon Center going to be ok?"

"Yes it will," Nurse Joy replied, turning back to see the partially destroyed building, officers swarming it for clues. "That Hyper Beam thankfully didn't hit any of the generators or medical equipment, so I can still operate as Nurse. I'm giving all the stolen Pokémon a quick once over to make sure they're all ok. And your Pokémon should be fine by morning."

"That's good to here," Dawn replied. "Officer Jenny, does anything that I told you help you with your investigation?" she added as she turned to the officer. When the police began combing the scene and sealing off the area, Officer Jenny had Dawn recant everything that had happened when she was there, from how she saw the Hyper Beam from her hotel to when she attacked the helicopter with Quilava.

"I really can't say for sure," Jenny replied with a sigh. "This is the first time a group of people like those you mentioned have been reported here in Blackthorn, but there have been three other incidents like this reported across Johto, according to my sisters. We really don't know what to think. This could be the rise of a new criminal organization, or just some isolated events with no connection to each other. We won't know until we have more information." She then looked off behind Dawn. "If you'll excuse me, I need to speak to Wallace and Clair about something." With that she walked off. Dawn thanked Nurse Joy again, and then she and Piplup headed past the barrier that the police had set up, where all the Trainers & Coordinators that had been residing at the Center when the attack happened, along with the crowd & news crews that had gathered to see what had happened, where all standing. Dawn & Piplup quickly found Zoey, Kenny, Lyra and Khoury, who were all standing near the edge of the barrier looking and waiting for her.

"Are you guys ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're ok," Zoey replied, "but what about you?"

"What about me?" Dawn replied with surprise. "You were the ones that were trapped in a Hyper Beam struck Pokemon Center, not me. It's a good thing nobody got any huge injuries."

"Yeah, but Dawn," Khoury interjected. "You had to battle them, and if that Hyper Beam was any indication, then that Nidoking must've been really powerful."

"Well, yeah, it was," the blunette admitted. "Mamoswine had a bit of a tough time battling it. But Nurse Joy is taking care of him, along with Pachirisu and Quilava. Besides, we managed to stop their plan, whatever it was, and we got all the Pokémon back, right."

"Pip Piplup," Piplup added in agreement.

"That's true," Kenny agreed. "I didn't lose Empoleon, Alakazam or Floatzel because of you. Thanks, DeeDee."

"I'm only ignoring that because of the situation," Dawn sighed. "But you're welcome Kenny."

"Yeah, he's right, thanks Dane," Lyra added with a smile. "Bayleef and Marill are ok thanks to what you did."

"Well, I guess you're right," Zoey admitted with a sigh and small grin, and Khoury also nodded his agreement. "Are you sure you're ok, Dawn?"

"Yeah, Zoey, no need to worry," Dawn replied with a small grin.

"Lup," Piplup added.

"So did you find out who those guys were?" Khoury asked curiously.

"No," Dawn replied. "Officer Jenny said that there were a few similar incidents like this in some other parts of Johto, but though they could either be isolated incidents or the rise of a new criminal organization like Team Rocket or Galactic, she thinks it's more of an isolated incident here. But they did look like they were part of a group or something. They all had similar uniforms, and even their leader, some green haired woman, had a similar uniform, even though it looked more "leader" quality."

"Well, whoever they are, hopefully, we won't have to ever hear about or see them again," Zoey said. "I'm sure that Officer Jenny and her guys can take care of them."

"Hopefully," Khoury stated, and Dawn couldn't help agree with him.

"Wonder what Wallace and Clair and Officer Jenny are talking about," Lyra wondered out loud.

"Probably the Wallace Cup," Zoey suggested. "After what just happened with all the Coordinators almost having their Pokémon stolen from them, I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped the Cup for a few days, get both Coordinators and Pokémon adjusted again and whatnot. Clair, being the Gym Leader here and therefore the strongest Trainer in the city, and with Blackthorn as her responsibility, she would-"

"Officer Jenny!" one of the officers combing the holes the Hyper Beam made called out, getting everyone's attention. "We found something!"

"Lup? Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed before making a mad dash towards where the officer was. "Pip Piplup!"

"Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed as she raced after her starter. "Get back here, Piplup!" But he wouldn't listen. Zoey, Kenny, Lyra and Khoury hesitated before running off after Dawn and Piplup.

"Kids, get back behind the barrier!" Jenny yelled out as she, Clair and Wallace dashed along too.

"Let them be, Officer," Wallace remarked. "Children such as them are simply curious and want to know what's going on. Besides, that one, Dawn, she was involved-it's only natural she may want to see what's been found."

"It looks more like she's chasing after that Piplup of hers," Clair smirked.

Piplup was the first to arrive at where the officer had been standing, where he had found something. Dawn and Officer Jenny soon followed, followed by everyone else. Dawn was picked up her Starter and was about to scold him and apologize to the officer before she caught a glimpse at the object the officer had found, which he was now holding up with a rubber glove so as not to contaminate any evidence. Officer Jenny looked at in for closer inspection, and her facial expression didn't reflect any good news at all, and neither did the "Shit…" she muttered under her breath. Clair, Wallace and the other four teens arrived and also saw what the found object was.

It was a torn piece of black material, most likely from one of the men's clothing. What stuck out about it was the insignia on the torn piece.

It was a fancy font of an H with an S crossing the H's lower right leg, with a dark colored PokeBall in the background.

* * *

_**XXXXX-A/N-XXXXX**_

_**And so it has begun.**_

_**OK everyone, here's the heads-up on how this story is going to work. Basically, it will take place in the later part of the XY series part of the anime...which of course, doesn't exist yet. So, pretty much, any details involving specifics of Ash's journey in Kalos, I'll be winging it-rest of the Pokémon he catches and obtains, whatever rival he gets, etc...etc. Now, I've decided to have his Kalos League Tournament show up in this story, where Dawn and her travelling companions will be watching the tournament on TV. And yes, I will have Ash actually win the League, which will result in him getting the chance of taking on the Kalos Elite Four and Diantha herself. How that will play out...you'll have to tune in to see ;D Also, being that Ash mentored Dawn in their Sinnoh travels, he'll be showing a few times to give Dawn advice here or there.**_

_**Also, Dawn will indeed be catching new Pokémon-quite a bit, actually. Before anyone tries to suggest that she catches this or that or the other, I'd like to point out that I've already decided exactly what Pokémon she'll be catching and where. So, please no telling me to have her catch this or that. Also, in regards to her traveling companions though Johto, she'll either have two or three companions...by the first, second or third chapter I'll figure it out. The first two companions are all familiar faces we've seen in the series. Any guesses as to who they could possibly be? Here's a hint-the female companion was a close friend of hers and also a kind of rival. Oh and speaking or rivals...Ursula. That's all.**_

_**Ok, everyone, thanks for reading, and remember to leave a review telling me what you liked, didn't like and what I can improve on. Oh and can anyone guess the name chosen for J's Team from the insignia?**_

_**Next chapter coming soon, so until next time, readers.**_


	3. Top Coordinator

_**The time: sometime in the future of the X&Y series, meaning that I'll be making up random stuff here on Ash's bits when he's mentioned. Let's say...around badge number five. The place: the Johto Region Grand Festival, hosted in the city of Goldenrod. The part: the semi-finals where two highly skilled Coordinators put themselves to the test once more, determined to see who makes it to the finals and gets the shot of the title of Top Coordinator. And who is waiting for the victor in the final round? None other than our favorite blunette Coordinator, of course :D **_

_**Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the first chapter of Dawn's Johto League Adventure.**_

_**Enjoy :D**_

_**Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related characters are still owned by Nintendo & Gamefreak**_

* * *

Chapter 1: Top Coordinator

* * *

***Goldenrod Grand Festival Hall, Goldenrod City, Johto; a year later***

"Glameow, use Shadow Claw!"

"Meoww!"

"Big mistake. Gabite, finish this with Scary Sandstorm!"

"Gabite!"

It happened so fast: Glameow, a gray colored cat-like Pokémon with a long and coiled tail, blue and yellow eyes and a crescent shaped head, the prime Pokémon of Zoey Nozomi, dashed forward with its claw encased in a shadowy aura with three claws procuring from it. The audience could tell that the Catty Pokémon was feeling fatigued from its battle against its opponent. On Glameow's side of the field, behind it, stood a young teenage woman with red spiky hair and crimson eyes wearing a green and lime outfit, with a sash around her waist with an extension of it flowing from her back; with light green pants under the skirt like bottom part of her outfit, complete with classy boots. Her face was contorted in frustration and nervousness. Her opponent was beating her but good. Zoey Nozomi was feeling uncertain about this battle. She looked at the clock-there was less than 20 seconds, and she had less points than her opponent.

On the opposite side of the field, Ursula Urara stood calm and confident, smirking the entire time of the battle. Wearing her standard black top with a red fluffy skirt, her peach-colored hair tied in the usual purple bows and curls, she watched as Glameow came towards her Gabite, confident of how this battle was going to end. She may have only had less than half of her points left, but Zoey had less than a quarter. She had played her cards well-stalling for a good while to get Zoey to strike first, allowing her to use her own strategy against her. Since that moment, Ursula had been in control of this battle, and she wasn't relinquishing control anytime soon. And now, the finisher was about to come down. Gabite, her faithful Dragon/Ground type, spun rapidly in place, creating a large sandstorm that began to envelope the entire Contest battlefield. Glameow was stopped dead in her tracks, her Shadow Claw stopped and the Catty Pokémon buffeted by the sandstorm. But it didn't stop there: from within the sandstorm, massive figures of terrifying proportions, each shaped like some disfigured creature, began popping out left and right, putting the fear of Arceus into Glameow.

"Would you look at that!" Miriam, the MC cried out in surprise. "Once again, Ursula's recently revealed combination, Scary Sandstorm, has frozen the opponent dead in its tracks, leaving them scared and unable to move or do anything, and Gabite makes excellent use of her Sand Veil ability! That's going to be a heavy point loss for Zoey!" As if it was responding to Miriam, Zoey's points indeed did drop a few more.

"Dammit…" Zoey muttered under her breath. There was seemingly nothing she could do-Glameow was being hindered by the Sandstorm, and Scary Face kept her frozen in place. "C'mon, Glameow, we can still win this-I know we can!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Zoey," Ursula smirked, "but this is where you say goodbye. Now Gabite, end this with Dragon Claw!"

"Gabite!" came the Cave Pokémon's response from within the sandstorm. Even in the near-impossible to see through sandstorm, both coordinators, the judges, the audience and the MC could see a blue aura glowing within the savage blowing winds and sand for a few seconds before it disappeared in the blink of an eye. A few more seconds, however, and it appeared again, this time more quickly and rapidly, over and over, and now with the sounds of impact and pained cries.

"GLA! OW! MEOW! GLAMEOW!"

"Glameow!" Zoey yelled out in worry.

"And now Gabite unleashed a barrage of Dragon Claw sneak attacks from all sides on Glameow, who can't find her opponent! Is this the end of Zoey and Glameow's run for the Johto Ribbon Cup!?"

**BBZZZZZTTT!**

"And that's time, ladies and gentlemen!" Miriam exclaimed as the timer rang out, signaling the end of the battle. "Now, we take a look at the scoreboard, and it seems…!" All eyes turned to the screen, which had been obscured by Gabite's Sandstorm, but was now coming back into view. On Ursula's sore, her points were still slightly less than half full, while Zoey's had been depleted to near empty due to Gabite's repeated attacks on Glameow. "And Ursula and Gabite are the winners of the second Semi-Final match of the Grand Festival!" Miriam exclaimed with her bubbly and happy voice. "With that, the final match to determine who wins the Johto Grand Festival and the title of Top Coordinator between Ursula Urara and Dawn Berlitz will soon be underway!" The audience cheered on as Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and the Goldenrod Nurse Joy gave their comments, with Ursula congratulating and praising Gabite for their victory. Zoey, meanwhile, went over to her Glameow, who was licking her wounds from the battle.

"Meow…" she mewed softly, sad that she had failed to her friend get to the finals.

"Hey, don't be like that," Zoey said as she picked Glameow up and hugged her. "You were great out there, no matter what. You did an awesome job, and that's all I can ever ask for."

"Meow," Glameow purred, glad to see Zoey wasn't disappointed.

"Ursula sure is tough," Zoey remarked as she and Glameow watched as Ursula went backstage. "Dawn is going to need all the luck she can get for the finals."

* * *

**XXX**

* * *

"Wow," Lyra remarked as she turned away from the screen where Ursula and Zoey's battle had just ended. "She's really good, from what I can tell."

"That's why she's considered one of the best, after all," Kenny replied, having long discarded his bullfighter costume since his elimination in the quarterfinals in his own match against Ursula. His faithful Empoleon stood beside him, its name escaping its beak in agreement to its Trainer's remark. "She wiped the floor with me and Empoleon, and we were winning the battle for the first three minutes."

"Uh, guys…" Khoury interrupted, getting the attention of both teenagers again. "I don't think this is helping Dawn out," he said, gesturing to the blunette sitting with them. At that, Lyra and Kenny turned to see Dawn Berlitz's slightly nervous and worried expression. Instantly, both of them stopped talking, not wanting their friend to feel any more pressure than she already was.

"Sorry, Dane," Lyra sheepishly apologized, with Kenny chuckling nervously. Surprisingly, Dawn didn't give an answer, resulting in the three of them giving her concerned stares. "Dane, are you OK?"

Piplup, standing at Dawn's feet, was staring up at his Trainer/best friend. He was worried about her-they had not come this far since their first Grand Festival in Sinnoh; they only made it to the semifinals in the Hoenn Grand Festival, beaten by some Coordinator named Ruby, who had gone on to win the whole thing. It had been a rough patch for Dawn, but she had managed to get it back together, with the support of himself, her other Pokémon and Zoey, their traveling companion through Hoenn. Dawn had then decided to compete in Johto, which Piplup had happily agreed to. He had been through thick and thin with her, helping her get her ribbons and being there by her side all the way. He had never seen her like this, not even when they were only a battle away from Ribbon #5. He really hoped she was ok...his performance in the final round would depend on her vibe that he gets from her being calm and collected.

Dawn herself was still silent, completely in another world. She had seen Ursula's excellent performance and how she had wiped the floor with Zoey and Glameow. Ursula's Scary Sandstorm technique, now perfected to be used without her Flareon, was certainly something to watch out for, but it didn't seem to have any way of being beaten or countered. And the risk of constant attacks without being able to defend from them made the technique even more devastating. Dawn knew that this was probably her biggest challenge yet, and her biggest obstacle for winning the title of Top Coordinator. Was she up for it, though? Could she meet the challenge and prevail?

What was she thinking? Of course she could.

She had made it this far, without turning back and without ever giving up. She had always moved forward, even in her moments of uncertainty and defeat. Without a word, Dawn reached into her backpack and took out her ribbon case, opening it to reveal the five ribbons she had won in her year of competing in Johto. Her Cherrygrove City Ribbon, where she and Togekiss had just barely managed to defeat Kenny and Floatzel with a well-placed Aura Sphere and Aerial Ace combo; her Bloomingvale Ribbon, where Mamoswine had managed to overcome the odds and pull off an amazing new combination with Hidden Power and a newly learned Giga Impact to defeat a Coordinator named Olivo and his seemingly unbeatable Heracross; her Ecruteak Ribbon, where Quilava and Piplup had joined in a double battle and were able to work as a team to beat a local Ghost type trainer, an apprentice of the local Gym Leader, and his Gengar & Mismagius; her Wallace Cup Ribbon from Scarlett City on the Whirl Islands, where a highly skilled Coordinator and her Dragonite had almost ruined Dawn and Buneary's chances until Buneary, purely out of motivation and a desire to make Dawn proud, learned Thunderbolt right on the spot and managed to pull off a very close win for Dawn, something Pikachu was very proud of when Dawn, Piplup and Buneary called Ash & Pikachu to let them know of their win; and finally, her Alto Mare Ribbon, where Pachirisu had managed to pull off an amazing win out of nowhere when batting Zoey and Glameow in the final round. Each one of these five ribbons showed just how far Dawn and her Pokémon had come in their newest leg of their journey, and just how much they've grown and gotten better. Dawn couldn't help but smile fondly. Now, here she was, and here they all were, in the final leg of their Johto journey, about to meet their final obstacle. She had the support of her friends, and more so, her Pokémon, the six best friends she had since she started her journey almost three years ago at the age of 13 in Sinnoh when she met Ash, Pikachu and Brock. They had proven themselves to her time and again, and she to them. They had done it all together, and she wasn't going to let them down. She was going to do this….win this for them all. For Mamoswine, Togekiss, Pachirisu, Quilava, Buneary and Piplup.

"Lup?"

Her Starter's concerned call made her come out of her reminiscence and she looked at her closest best friend, the one who had been with her since the beginning. Piplup looked up and her with his head cocked at a side, a slightly confused and concerned look on his face. She smiled again, this time even bigger and rubbed his head fondly. "No need to worry, Piplup," she said softly but confidently. "I'm just fine."

"Piplup," the Water Type replied with a smile...well as best a smile as a beak can allow.

"All these ribbons," Dawn continued, showing Piplup their past victories, "each of them shows how much we've grown over the last year, how far we've come as Coordinator & Pokémon. We've come this far, and all we can do now is give it our all, and win this no matter what. You ready, Piplup?"

"Pip Piplup!" Piplup said confidently as he pounded his chest with his flippers. He was scared when he was Ursula and Gabite's performance on the screen, but after hearing his Trainer's words, he was confident that they could win, no matter what. He was going to do whatever it took to help Dawn become a Top Coordinator by nightfall.

"Ok then," Dawn smiled as she got up. Taking Piplup's PokéBall, she recalled him and placed him in the capsule seal and placed the sticker, as she had always done. She took a deep breath and looked over at the wall sized mirror on the wall of the room. Dawn was wearing the same yellow dress with white ruffles, gloves and heels she wore in her Sinnoh Grand Festival, complete with the same hairstyle. She then turned to Lyra, Khoury and Kenny.

"You ok, Dawn?" Khoury asked.

"Yeah, Khoury, no need to worry," Dawn replied with a smile. "I'm ready for the final round."

"I know you'll do great, Dawn," Zoey said with a smile as she and Glameow came into the room. "Show Ursula just what you're made of."

"You bet, Zoey," came the confident reply. "We've come too far to lose now!"

* * *

**XXX**

* * *

***About an hour later***

The crowds were cheering loudly as the final round of the Johto Grand Festival was getting ready to take place. The three judges-Contesta, Sukizo and Nurse Joy-were in their places, anticipating the great battle that was to come. At that moment, Dawn and Ursula then came to their respective positions on the battlefield. The cheering increased to new levels. In the stands, Lyra, Khoury, Zoey and Kenny, along with Buneary and Pachirisu, were sitting and cheering loudest of all, with the two Pokémon dressed in little cheering outfits, complete with pom poms.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen!" Miriam announced to the crowds. "Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for-the battle of battles for Coordinators everywhere, the battle round to determine who is crowned as Top Coordinator! Two very accomplished Coordinators have managed to come this far and reach this point in their journey and the only things that stand in their way are each other. Let's hear it for Dawn Berlitz and Ursula Urara!"

"Looks like it's just you and me now, DeeDee," Ursula smirked as she took out a PokeBall.

"Won't be that way for long, Ursula," Dawn replied with a confident smile as she took out Piplup's PokeBall.

"You're right; in five minutes, I'll have beaten you and been crowned as a Top Coordinator. I'm leaving you behind, Dawn, way far behind. Remember, all those times you beat me before were lucky breaks, instances of sheer dumb luck. I'll always be the better Coordinator, and this will prove it!"

'Arceus, she really pisses me off with that luck crap!' Dawn yelled in her mind. 'No...keep calm, that's just what she wants. You can win this!' Dawn inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't let Ursula get to her now, of all times-she had dealt with too much of her crap all these years, and she wasn't about her ruin her biggest shot to being a Top Coordinator now! She was going to win this!

"Not if I can say anything about it," Dawn smirked. "Time to show you just who the better Coordinator is!"

"The time limit is five minutes!" Miriam announced as the screen with the points score and the images of the two opponents. "Now, the time is here! Let the final round of the Grand Festival...BEGIN!"

"Piplup! Spotlight!" Dawn yelled out, unleashing her first and most trusted Pokémon.

"PIPLUP!"

"Gabite! Take the Stage!" Ursula yelled, unleashing her most trusted and powerful Pokémon.

"GABITE!"

Dawn, deciding to take initiative, took the first move. "Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" The Water Type began unleashing a barrage of blue clear bubbles, all heading straight for Gabite.

"No you don't! Gabite, use Double Team into Dragon Claw, and you know what to do from there!" Ursula yelled out in a counter move. The Dragon Type responded instantly, dozens of copies sprouting from her body. Once they amassed, they all charged forward, claws glowing a dangerous blue-green color, ready to attack. Piplup's attack blasted through two of the copies harmlessly.

"Gabite's Double Team and Dragon Claw combo shows remarkable defense as well as offense. That'll cost Dawn a few points!" Instantly, Dawn's points gauge emptied itself a bit.

"Smart," Dawn muttered, before smirking. "But that's not going to stop us! Piplup, stop Bubble Beam and charge straight into the attack!" It was a testament to how much Piplup trusted Dawn when he didn't even hesitate and started charging towards his opponent. The small penguin charged closer and closer to the numerous Gabite, hoping Dawn knew what she was doing, and his patience was rewarded in full. Once he was close enough, Dawn yelled out, "Now, jump up over the copies and use Ice Beam Counter Shield in a freefall!" With a cry of determination, the small Water Type jumped into the air and over the Gabite swarm, and as he came down into a free fall, he unleashed his Ice Beam into a Counter Shield move, directing it into the free fall, making the Ice Beam fly across the battlefield and destroying all the copies.

"Amazing! Dawn and Piplup are able to use Ice Beam in their famous Counter Shield technique to destroy the Double Team, meaning points lost for Ursula!" Miriam announced. "Dawn is famous for her Counter Shield, developed in her first year of Coordinating. It's won her multiple contests in Sinnoh, Hoenn & here in Johto. It's been recognized as a master move, even used in other instances outside of Coordinating, such as in the Sinnoh Lily of the Valley Conference by Dawn's close friend Ash Ketchum!" Piplup puffed his chest out with pride once he landed, and Dawn couldn't help but blush slightly. "But wait...where's Gabite?" That got the two Sinnoh natives' attention, and they realized their opponent was nowhere to be seen.

"Lup?"

"Wait, where did..?" Dawn muttered, before she noticed the hole in the ground in front of a smirking Ursula. "Dammit-Piplup, it used Dig, watch out!"

"Now, Gabite!" Ursua yelled out triumphantly. With a seconds' long rumble, Gabite then erupted out of the ground below Piplup's feet, sending him flying into the air.

"PIPLUP!" Dawn cried out in worry.

"Dammit, that's not good!" Lyra exclaimed as she grabbed at the edge of her seat. Khoury, Zoey and Kenny were also worried, and Buneary & Pachirisu frantically cheered on even more, not wanting their friend and master to lose to Ursula.

"And Gabite makes an amazing comeback, using Dig before attacking with Double Team and Dragon Claw to ensure it didn't get hit with a counter attack, and strikes back with a vengeance!" Dawn's points gauge dropped more, resulting in her now having fewer points than Ursula.

"Nice try, DeeDee," Ursula smirked. "Like I said, I'm leaving you far behind! Gabite, Stone Edge followed up with Sandstorm!"

"Gabite!" Gabite cried out, swirls of stones surrounding her body just as she started swirling in place, creating a sandstorm. Gabite then thrust her arms right into Piplup's direction, and the sandstorm formed a small cyclone and flew right at the Water Type, with the Stone Edge swirling around the sandstorm.

"What a move on Ursula and Gabite's part, and a nice attack at that!" Miriam stated. Dawn's points lowered a bit more

"Counter with Hydro Pump!" Dawn yelled out. Piplup unleashed his most powerful attack, sending a massive cannon of water straight at the Sandstorm-Stone Edge combo. The two attacks were equal in power and with a massive explosion, cancelled each other out, sending out a blinding light.

"Dawn manages to counter just in time, saving herself even more point loss, but making Ursula still lose points! Still, Ursula is leading by more points-Dawn really needs to make a comeback is she wants to win this!"

"Ok, Piplup, let's try out that new move-use Mega Drill Peck!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup began using Drill Peck, but as he used to do with his Peck attack, he stored energy into it, and once it was powered up, he charged straight for Gabite. Ursula's points dropped a bit from the move's execution.

"Gabite, counter with Aerial Ace!" Ursula commanded. Gabite streaked forwards, disappearing for an instant before appearing right in front of Piplup. The two Pokémon clashed, both trying to overpower the other in terms of strength and power. One would think that the Pokémon that was evolved would've had the upper hand here, but it wasn't the case. After a few dozen seconds of strain and encouragement from their trainers, Piplup's enhanced Drill Peck finally overcame Gabite's Aerial Ace, sending the Cave Pokémon flying across the battlefield. "Gabite, no!"

"And Gabite gets some serious damage and Ursula loses some major points for that!" Miriam exclaimed. Ursula's points plummeted to the half mark, while Dawn's was still just above the two thirds mark. "With only two minutes left, this battle is definitely heating up!" The crowds were going wild, and Lyra, Khoury, Zoey, Kenny, Buneary and Pachirisu were cheering the loudest of them all.

"Way to go, Piplup!" Dawn cheered. "We can still win this!"

"Piplup!" the Water Type cried in joy.

Ursula was seething. "No...I can't let her beat me, not like this! I am the better Coordinator, and I am going to prove it!" She smirked to herself. "Guess it's time to take off the gloves. Gabite, it's time to take off the restraints-Scary Sandstorm, NOW!"

"What?!" Dawn exclaimed, now very afraid, with Piplup not liking this at all.

"Ga...BITE!" Gabite roared out as she unleashed a massive Sandstorm attack, encasing the entire battlefield in a vicious sandstorm, soon blocking everything from view.

"Piplup, try countering with Whirlpool!" Dawn yelled out in desperation. Piplup managed to hear her over the vicious winds and unleashed the Water attack, only for it to grow to half its size and be completely ripped apart by the massive sand and winds, sending the mixture of sand and water right back at Piplup, making him cry out in pain.

"What a shame! Piplup's attempted counter completely turns against him as he's pummeled by sand and water! That'll definitely cost Dawn points!" Indeed, Dawn's points began dropping, nearing the half mark where Ursula was. But it didn't stop there-Gabite, with her Sand Veil ability activating within the Sandstorm, began unleashing Scary Face, and just as before against Glameow, the sand began morphing it into horrifying proportions and creating a ghost like appearance, and began popping all over the sandstorm, and making sure that it all put the fear of both Arceus and Giratina into Piplup's heart. Piplup began crying out in fear, and Dawn's points continued to drop.

"You might as well give up now, Dawn!" Ursula laughed. "Not one of my opponents has ever managed to stop Gabite once Scary Sandstorm comes into play! You lost, admit it!"

"No way! Piplup and I can still win this!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup wasn't so sure about that.

"The hard way it is then. Gabite, let's end this-Dragon Claw!"

"Hydro Pump Counter Shield, Piplup! I know you can do it!" Try as he might, however, not even Piplup's Hydro Pump was able to make much progress in this Sandstorm. The winds and sands just buffeted the attacks, thankfully not sending them back at the Water Type, but it didn't matter-Gabite, well hidden in the Sandstorm, repeatedly ambushed Piplup from all directions with her Dragon Claw, striking Piplup without any mercy. Piplup's cries of pain broke Dawn's heart, and she desperately tried to think of a way to turn this around. Her points just kept falling and falling, and only a minute was left.

"Dawn isn't looking too good," Zoey muttered, "and neither is Piplup…"

"I don't think she can win this…" Kenny sighed. Buneary and Pachirisu gave him a few shocks, refusing to believe that Dawn would lose.

"With less than a minute to go, Dawn's points are nearing the quarter mark!" Miriam exclaimed. "Is this the end of Dawn's third Grand Festival endeavor?!"

"I can't believe it...I can't...we have to try something…" Dawn muttered to herself, desperately trying to think of something. "The sandstorm is hiding Gabite too well, and the winds and sand keep knocking all of Piplup's attacks back at him. Unless the winds and sand can freeze somehow then I-...wait...freeze...that's it! PIPLUP, ICE BEAM COUNTER SHIELD, NOW!"

Above the roars of Gabite and the winds of the sandstorm, Piplup heard his trainer. And he was filled with new resolve. They had come this far, and he was going to win this for her, no matter what it took. "PIP...LUUUUUPPPP!" he cried as he jumped into the air, unleashing Ice Beam as he went. The results were instantaneous-the ice froze the sand in its place, and the sandstorm began rapidly freezing in place and stopping, creating gorgeous ice sculptures from the forms. What was even better, though, was the effect it had on Gabite.

"WHAT?! NO, GABITE!" Ursula exclaimed as Gabite crashed through a few ice sand forms into the ground, roaring in pain and its entire left arm encased in ice, dealing massive damage.

"SHE DID IT!" Dawn's four friends cheered as the crowd erupted in awe and cheers.

"Incredible!" Miriam exclaimed in awe and shock. "With an Ice Beam Counter Shield, not only does Piplup stop the sandstorm and Gabite's barrage of attacks, but he also creates massive ice sculptures of dazzling beauty and manages to deal massive damage to Gabite. A massive point loss if I ever saw one!" Ursula's points then dropped to less than a quarter, and Dawn and Ursula were both neck and neck.

"Ooooh, you'll pay for that, Dawn!" Ursula yelled. "Gabite, Stone Edge, now!"

"I don't think so!" Dawn yelled back, new fire in her eyes. "Piplup, Whirlpool! Destroy all the ice and catch it in the Whirlpool!"

"PIPLUUUUUUPPPP!" he replied as the Whirlpool formed, growing massive and destroying all the ice into pieces. At the same time, Gabite unleashed her Stone Edge, sending the attack straight for Piplup. To the awe of the audience & judges, the joy of Dawn & Piplup, and shock of Ursula & Gabite, the Rock Type move was sucked into the Whirlpool before getting anywhere near Piplup. Ursula's points lowered even more.

"Now Piplup, send it all flying back to Gabite, now!" Dawn yelled out triumphantly, her fist pumped in the air.

"PIP PIIIIIPLUUUUUP!" her starter yelled triumphantly as he then sent the massive stone & ice filled Whirlpool right to Gabite.

"No!" Ursula yelled out in desperation, and in that desperation, she called out an attack she forgot was risky for Gabite, being she didn't master it yet. "Gabite, defend yourself with Draco Meteor, now!"

Inside, Gabite knew that it was a very bad idea, because she had yet to master that move at all. But she was loyal to Ursula, no matter what, and so against her better judgment, Gabite opened her maw and unleashed the Draco Meteor. Unfortunately, as it had yet to be fully mastered, it was not as big an orb as a normal Draco Meteor. As a result, the Whirlpool easily overwhelmed the attack, crashing right through it and soon pummeled right into Gabite. The combination of water, rock and super-effective ice devastated the Dragon/Ground Type, making her roar in pain and crash into the ground

"Gabite!" Ursula cried out in worry. The Cave Pokémon somehow managed to get up, exhausted and on the verge of fainting, but it just couldn't give up-they were so close. If she could just land one more-!

**BBZZZZZTTTT!**

"And time is up, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Miriam exclaimed, getting the attention of Dawn, Piplup, Ursula and Gabite. The massive crowds were soon silent, and Lyra, Khoury, Kenny, Zoey, Buneary & Pachirisu held their breath. "The five minutes are up, and the Grand Festival final round is over! Both Coordinators and their Pokémon put up amazing battles and showed of stunning techniques. But we can only have one winner...and that winner, and new Top Coordinator is..."

Piplup immediately looked at the massive scoreboard, as did Gabite and Ursula, but Dawn held herself. She was scared to see just how she scored. But she had to. So with a deep breath, she opened her eyes-not even remembering that she closed them-and looked at the scoreboard.

Dawn held barely a tenth of the points she started with.

Ursula...had around just a fraction less that Dawn.

"DAWN AND PIPLUP! DAWN AND PIPLUP HAVE WON THE JOHTO REGIONAL GOLDENROD GRAND FESTIVAL! DAWN BERLITZ IS THE VICTOR, THE WINNER OF THE RIBBON CUP AND HAS WON THE TITLE OF TOP COORDINATOR! CONGRATULATIONS!"

The crowd quite literally exploded upon the declaration. All across the hall, the people got out of their seats and screamed and cheered and yelled. None were louder than Dawn's six greatest supporters.

"She did it, she did, she did it!" Lyra exclaimed as she hugged Khoury and literally jumped for joy, completely ecstatic. "Dane did it, she won and now she's a Top Coordinator!"

"Way to go, Dawn!" Kenny yelled out at the 15 year old blunette. He thought she pulled off a spectacular win with those last combinations. Sure, he wished HE was the one getting that Cup and being crowned a Top Coordinator, but seeing her win it all made him alright with it. It probably had something to do with the fact that he still kind of had a crush on Dawn...

Zoey, meanwhile, was clapping for joy and had an approving and proud look on her face. "Congratulations, Dawn; you finally did it," the 18 year old Top Coordinator said with a smile. "Your mom is definitely proud of you and so am I, and I'm sure Ash will be too."

Buneary and Pachirisu lost it and jumped down to the ground from the stands, making a mad dash for Dawn & Piplup, ecstatic and joyous.

"I...I can't believe it," Dawn said with a massive smile on her face. "We won...we won the Grand Festival!"

"Piplup!" Piplup cried out in joy.

"We did it, Piplup!" Dawn yelled in pure joy as Piplup dashed for his Trainer. She fell to her knees and welcomed him in an embrace as the Water Type jumped at her, and they both shared a tight hug. Dawn was actually crying of pure happiness. She finally did it...no, THEY finally did it, her and her Pokémon, as one. "I love you, Piplup. You're the best... thank you so much for your hard work."

"Piplup Pip," the Starter replied, happy beyond words that he made his Trainer proud.

"Buneary!"

"Chipa Chipa!"

Both Dawn and Piplup were tackled by Buneary and Pachirisu, and they welcomed them both in with laughter, and the Coordinator hugged her three Pokémon tightly. "It's all thanks to all of you-we made it possible together." The three cheered, and Dawn looked up to the crowds and waved at Lyra, Khoury, Kenny and Zoey.

"Gabite..." the Cave Pokémon moaned softly, upset that she let her master down.

"Gabite, I'm proud of you," Ursula said with a soft smile as she came over and hugged her faithful Gabite. "You did better than your best, and I couldn't ask for anything better." The Dragon/Ground type cooed softly, still wishing she could've won but happy Ursula wasn't mad at her. Ursula looked over at Dawn, who was now surrounded by her friends, and frowned. It sucked and hurt to accept it, but it seemed it was true. Even she couldn't account this to sheer dumb luck. "Maybe...maybe Dawn is the better Coordinator..." she said to herself.

She just would have to try harder for the next Contest Circuit she would compete in. And Ursula knew exactly how she would do it.

Several minutes later, Dawn found herself standing on a victory platform before the massive audiences. At her side was Piplup, along with Buneary & Pachirisu. Standing nearby were Zoey, Kenny, Lyra and Khoury. Dozens upon dozens of reporters and paparazzi were there, broadcasting and taking pictures. Miriam was also standing nearby, announcing whatever it was that she was saying. Then, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo & Nurse Joy came walking up, a massive gold-colored winner trophy in Mr. Contesta's hands.

"And now, Mr. Contesta comes to give our victor, Dawn Berlitz, the Grand Festival Ribbon Cup and the title of Top Coordinator, and thus bringing a close to this year's Johto Contest Circuit!" Miriam announced.

It was then that Dawn chose to call out Mamoswine, Togekiss and Quilava. She wanted to share this moment with all her Pokémon.

"Dawn Berlitz," Contesta began. "You have definitely come far in your three years as a Coordinator. You've persevered through every obstacle in your way, and even after a loss you would always bounce back. Now, you have successfully followed in your mother's footsteps and have earned the Title of Top Coordinator. Your mother must be so proud of you, young lady."

"I know she is," Dawn replied with a wide smile, which then fell slightly, and led to the blunette to sigh longingly. "I just wish she was here to share this moment with me," she added. Her mother had indeed wanted to come to Johto and see her daughter in the Grand Festival, but a severe thunderstorm had forced her flight from Sinnoh to be delayed, and therefore preventing her from arriving.

"Yes, I would imagine so," Mr. Contesta said with a smile. "So, on that matter, young lady, we have a surprise for you, one that I believe you will definitely enjoy. Wallace, if you please?"

Dawn was confused. "Wallace? As in the Hoenn Champion & Top Coordinator Wallace?"

"The one and only," a new voice said, and Dawn turned to see the figure of Wallace himself appear, but what really got her attention and almost made her collapse was the woman who was with him. "And for your surprise..."

"Congratulations honey!"

"Mom!" Dawn cried in joy as both she and Johanna Berlitz ran for each other and enveloped themselves in a massive embrace. "Mom, how... how did-Wallace-but how-?!"

"All Top Coordinators know each other in some way, Dawn," Johanna said with a loving smile as she brought up her daughter's face. "I just happen to know Wallace a bit well, and when he found out I'm your mother, he decided to help me get here in time to watch you win the Festival."

"A friend of mine, Drake, agreed to help and brought us here on his ship. And as not to spoil the surprise, she decided to wait until after the finals to show herself," Wallace remarked with a smile. "You have definitely made your mother proud, Dawn."

"You have, honey," Johanna beamed as she kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Thanks, mom," Dawn replied, a few tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

"Now go and get your trophy," the older blunette said with a smile. With one more hug, Dawn went back to the platform and her Pokémon, where Mr. Contesta was waiting with the Ribbon Cup. With pride swelling inside her, Johanna went to stand with Zoey, Lyra, Khoury and Kenny.

"Good to see you enjoyed the surprise, Dawn," Contesta laughed. "And now, in honor of your victory and accomplishments throughout this whole year, I present to you the Johto Ribbon Cup & now officially proclaim you as a recognized Top Coordinator! Congratulations to you and your Pokémon!"

Once more, the crowds erupted in cheers and applause, with Dawn's mother and friends being the loudest. Even Ursula applauded, deciding she should at least try to be a good sport.

"Thanks, Thank you all!" Dawn exclaimed, hoisting the Cup up and turning to her Pokémon." We did it, guys-all of us together! TOP COORDINATOR!"

"PIP PIPLUP!"

"BUNEARY!"

"CHIPA!"

"MAMOSWINE!"

"KISS!"

"LAVA QUILAVA!"

"Now, as a Top Coordinator," Contesta continued, "you have so many opportunities before open to you now. I'm certain that there are many great plans in the future waiting for a Top Coordinator such as yourself. Fame, fortune and the like are soon to come, but even more so is the opportunity of traveling to places you could never go before and so much more. It would be a great pleasure for us all to know what you plan to do next!"

The crowds continued to cheer on, anxiously waiting to hear what Dawn would be doing next. Ursula was also curious about Dawn's plans. Johanna and Dawn's friends were also anxious to hear what was next. Zoey in particular wanted to know what she would do-being a Top Coordinator herself, she had simply chosen to continue to compete in Contests, avoiding the hassle of fame by traveling as she always had. The media and paparazzi were also waiting to hear what Dawn would be doing next, and even her own Pokémon were waiting to heat just what the seven of them would be doing next.

The crowds and media continued to cheer and wait for Dawn's answer. This only last a couple dozen more seconds, however, as slowly, the cheers and voices began to die down, replaced by murmurs of confusion and concern. The judges looked worried. Johanna, Wallace, Lyra, Khoury, Zoey and Kenny were confused and looked concerned. The six Pokémon were among the most concerned and edged closer. Even Ursula was a bit confused.

All eyes were on Dawn, who was standing still with her eyes on the Ribbon Cup in her hands. On her face was a confused and thoughtful look. Dozens of thoughts were now racing in her mind, because Mr. Contesta had brought up something she had never considered or even thought about.

What the hell WAS she going to do now?

Yes, she had achieved her dream of being a Top Coordinator, but she never even considered what she would do or what plans she would have after accomplishing that goal. Yeah, she always assumed she would keep on being a Coordinator, since there was always room to improve, and she always wanted to better herself and her Pokémon, but now...with all these options that Mr. Contesta just gave to her, she was feeling overwhelmed. Thoughts of the day she met Wallace for the first time and how he remarked that his lifestyle was very hectic... she didn't want a lifestyle like that, especially at the age of 15. So then...what could she do?

"Dawn, honey?"

"Are you OK, young lady?"

"Piplup?"

Dawn was brought back to focus as Johanna, Mr. Contesta and Piplup called her attention. She then realized that everyone in the hall was waiting for her response.

"Oh, um, sorry, it's just...well...I, um...I don't know what I'm doing next...at all."

* * *

_**XXXXX-A/N-XXXXX**_

_**That's OK, Dawn...we know. And you'll be having the time of your life with friends new and old. Speaking of which, I have decided that Dawn is going to indeed have three (3) traveling companions. Many of you figured out Zoey was one so congrats on that. The second one is a guy, an old face actually, and my only hint is that he appeared in the Master Quest season of the Johto arc. Look for him in the next chapter :D**_

_**Now, some may have noticed the bit of Kenny still having a crush on Dawn. To clear things up, there will be instances of one-sided Penguinshipping, and no, Kenny is not Dawn's third travel compassion. With hints of Pearlshipping across this story, that'd just be awkward. No, the third travel companion, also a guy, he's...well, I'll save that as a major surprise. He'll be hinted at in the next chapter, and I want to see just who is able to guess who he'll be.**_

_**OK guys, there's the chapter :) once again, any and all feedback about anything at all is greatly appreciated, as well as constructive criticism. I really do enjoy hearing back from you guys. And I apologize if this sounds whiny or anything, but please remember to leave a review. Doesn't even take a minute, maybe a little more. It helps motivate me to keep writing this story. Besides, how do I know people enjoy it if they don't say anything?**_

_**OK that is enough from me. Next time, the seeds of Dawn's journey begin to sprout as we head to New Bark Town. All in the next chapter. Until next time, readers.**_

_**PS: how was the Contest Battle description?**_


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